Chapter 2917
Chapter 2917
Karen stayed in the marriage and endured the abuse day in and day out for Sadie's sake. She did consider running away with her daughter, but she knew that once captured, she would be subjected to even harsher beatings. Thus, she lost the ability to fight back and no longer dared to escape.
Karen never imagined Esmond's departure would be so abrupt at the time. It was as if he had an awakening and took all the cash from the house before leaving their world. At that time, Karen often wondered if Esmond had died somewhere. Otherwise, he would not have spared her and her daughter so easily.
Then, she realized he was probably fighting for territory with other thugs on the streets.
Karen felt contempt at the time. Esmond's life amounted to nothing more than earning money through force. She would never touch that kind of money. The last time she contacted him was because she could not think of any other way to deal with Rita, only for that brat to escape again.
Esmond had called a few times afterward, but she did not answer as she did not want to give him any hope that their relationship could be rekindled. To Esmond, their shared past was one of immaturity, but to Karen, it was a complete nightmare. She never wanted to return to that man's side again.
"Karen? Karen!"
Rita called out several times before Karen seemed to hear her. "Oh, what's the matter?"
Rita asked her, "Are you unwell? I called you several times, but you didn't respond. I thought something was wrong."
Karen smiled weakly. "Maybe it's because I didn't sleep well last night..."
Upon hearing that Karen had not slept well the night before, Vince immediately stood up and helped her up, saying, "Let me take you upstairs to rest for a bit. I'll also call the doctor to come and check on you."
"It's nothing serious. I just didn't sleep well last night, so it's only natural I'll feel tired right now. Besides, I haven't even finished eating," said Karen.
Rita could only detect the sweetness in her words. Regardless, her father did indeed know how to take care of a pregnant woman.
Just the thought that her father and mother had once eagerly anticipated her birth made Rita feel a bit lonely. Times had changed, and the makeup of the family members changed.
In such moments, she missed Sherman especially. She did not need him to say anything or comfort her. Just having him by her side was enough to heal her.
However, one thing was confirmed during lunch for Rita-Esmond's influence on Karen was significant. Every time Karen heard Esmond's name, she would drift off and forget all about putting on a facade. This was unlike her usual self. Lately, Sadie had been going out frequently, and from what her father hinted, it was not just once. With such frequency, Rita could not help but feel that something was amiss.
Just as Rita was thinking about Sherman, his call came. She answered the phone with a pleasantly surprised expression.
"Have you finished lunch with your family yet?" asked Sherman coldly.
Rita glanced at the empty table and replied cutely, "I'm not sure whether lunch is finished... Either way, I'm the only one left at the table."
Sherman frowned. "What? Are you saying that your family doesn't even want to have a meal with you
now?"
"It's not that. It's just that Karen suddenly said she didn't sleep well last night. Dad was worried about the baby in her belly, so he quickly put down everything and took her upstairs. He even called the family doctor."This text is property of Nô/velD/rama.Org.
Vince scoffed lightly. "Looks like your father really cares about the baby in her belly,"
Rita nodded. "Yeah. Dad is hoping for a baby boy."
Sherman could not understand the thoughts of these old men or why they cared so much about whether the baby turned out to be a boy or a girl.